Роджер Уотерс / Roger Waters

Rock albums get new spin as book subjects
Sunday, July 23, 2006

By Rod Lockwood, Block News Alliance



Associated Press
Members of the rock band Pink Floyd leap from the steps of EMI House in London in this 1967 file photo. From left, they are Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett and Richard Wright.
Click photo for larger image.








Bill Janovitz grew up listening to "Exile on Main Street" over and over, burning its mysterious, sleazy grooves into his soul and memorizing every Keith Richards riff and Mick Jagger yowl.

So when it came time to write a book on the classic 1972 double album, Janovitz only had to mine his own inner musician for material and inspiration.

Not your ordinary fan, Janovitz is a founding member of the alt-rock band Buffalo Tom and an accomplished solo musician. He also is part of a movement in music journalism that defies current trends and is charmingly anachronistic.

At a time when obituaries are being written every day for the full-length record album -- being killed by file sharing, the popularity of downloads onto MP3 players or consumer indifference, take your pick -- books about the making of specific albums are streaming steadily out of publishing houses.

Continuum Publishing's quirky 331/3 series, for which Janovitz wrote, is a modest success, with more than 30 books already released about albums ranging from huge releases such as Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." or "Led Zeppelin IV" to obscurities like Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea." Another 20 books in the series are in production.

Other publishers have released books on the making of Johnny Cash's "Live at Folsom Prison" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," and Geoff Emerick, a longtime engineer for The Beatles, has just written a book on the making of a number of the band's albums.

There are even entire books written about the making of just one song, including Greil Marcus going on about Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Dick Peterson, former drummer of the Kingsmen, writing about "Louie, Louie."

All of these books are packed with details ranging from the personal to the technical and sociological, covering everything from the author's reaction to the music to the kind of equipment used in the studio.

"Each book is maybe a little bit different," Janovitz said of the 331/3 series.

"It's people who are really into albums and really kind of geeky about checking all the credits. Some of the more casual but big rock and roll fans don't really care, they just want the end product. They don't need to know what went into the sausage. But the kind of ?ber-geeks that we are, we're really into it."


Emphasis on music


The most prolific series in the genre is Continuum's. The idea for the books popped into David Barker's head four years ago. Normally a publisher of academic, religion and humanities-related works, Continuum had published a "Contemporaries" line of books in the '80s and '90s that dissected novels for students in English classes.

A 36-year-old self-described "British indie kid" and a staff member at Continuum, Barker was looking for an alternative books lines for the publisher, which has offices in New York and the United Kingdom. He remembered the Contemporaries series, which was "very rigidly structured" and thought it could be applied to albums.

With a twist.

"I thought it would be a lot more fun with music to let writers, to a certain extent, do whatever they wanted to do."

He launched the series by seeking out a diverse group of writers, critics and even musicians who had specific albums they'd want to write about. Then he gave them the freedom to take whatever tack they wanted. The result is a refreshingly diverse batch of books.

There's a fictionalized take on The Band's "Music From Big Pink," Janovitz's enlightening song-by-song exploration of "Exile," told through the eyes of a musician, and a number of books that explore the pop culture surrounding the specific albums.

What each one has in common is a loving look at an album that made a difference in someone's life, and they're all written with a passion that is a reminder of 30 years ago, when music magazines like Creem, Circus, Crawdaddy and Rolling Stone featured long essays and think-pieces that were more about music than personality profiles.

Geoffrey Himes, a freelance music writer who regularly appears in the Washington Post, argues convincingly in his 331/3 book that Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A" is his best work. His point runs counter to that of most Springsteen devotees, which is what makes it such a compelling read.

"Writing a whole book about an album as opposed to a book about the artist puts the emphasis on the music rather than the musician," he said. "There's not a lot of opportunities to write serious music criticism as opposed to personality profiles and I think that is what was most attractive to me in the first place."

Barker said he encourages the writers to go beyond the technical attributes of the music.

"There are only so many ways you can say they went into the studio and recorded this bass track or that drum track or whatever," he said.

"I think you have to start writing around the subject, and I try to find writers who are capable of that; of going off on little tangents and thinking slightly outside the box of the album and how it was made."


Details, details


Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke is sick of hearing people talk about the "death of the album." So sick of it, he drops a choice epithet or two when discussing the issue. His point is that musicians keep making full-length releases, record companies keep putting them out and they keep showing up in stores.

So it doesn't surprise him that there's a market, however small, that's intensely interested in how the things are made.

"The fact that people are reading them at all is pretty heartening," he said in a telephone interview from his New York office.

"The fact that people are interested in these records suggests that this whole notion that everyone is breezing by and not paying attention and they're moving from one thing to another and the music's not going to last ..." he stopped, clearly frustrated.

"You know, people were saying rock is dead in 1968 and 1969. They've been saying [it] every year I've been doing this, and it's not dead. People find inspiration in these things."

Most of the books work as behind-the-scenes glimpses at artistic creations that often are shrouded in mystery. John Harris' "The Dark Side of the Moon" (Da Capo Press, 191 pages, $24.95) is a fascinating journey into Pink Floyd's 1973 multimillion selling album.

Harris interviews Floyd members Roger Waters and David Gilmour and reveals all sorts of details about the recording sessions. Perhaps most notable is the workmanlike quality of the recordings in which the band members would show up on time -- and drug free -- play their parts, and go home. And if there was a soccer game or Monty Python on the telly, the notoriously dour band would take a break.

Michael Streissguth's "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece" (Da Capo Press, 191 pages, $15.95) follows Cash through his seminal performance at the California prison in 1968. Among the interesting tidbits in the photo-heavy book is that Carl Perkins, who opened for Cash and played guitar for him during the gig, resented performing before the cons and was in a bad mood the entire time.

And that "shrill cry that flew up" that listeners heard from the prisoners during the crucial "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" line of "Folsom Prison Blues"? That was overdubbed later for dramatic effect because the prisoners were so raucous during the performance that it passed without notice.

In Emerick's "Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles" (Gotham Books, 387 pages, $26), the long-time sound engineer goes into serious detail about the band's recording sessions. Not surprisingly, it's the specific songs and the personal revelations that stand out.

His account of the tensions during the recording of "The White Album" is vivid as he describes the sour, smoke-filled air in the claustrophobic room and the abrasive personalities of the band. John Lennon was acting like an egotistical jerk. Yoko Ono was omnipresent. And Paul McCartney insisted on recording small parts over and over. Everyone was at each other's throats so much that Emerick simply quit.

These kinds of details make the books attractive to serious music fans, said Chuck Klosterman, a music and pop culture writer whose columns appear monthly in Esquire magazine.

"They're reading a book about 'Dark Side of the Moon' and they've already thought about it for 400 hours. They're actually, in a way, the person who needs to read the book the least, but they're they only person who's going to."

The charm of the books is that their lack of immediacy -- it's hard to find any of them about an album that's not at least 5 years old -- creates a sort of nostalgic vibe that goes beyond the music. For example, the 331/3 book about James Brown's "Live at the Apollo" album looks back on one week in America in 1962 and puts Brown's fiery performance in a social context that transcends the art.

That combination of artistic detail and cultural significance is irresistible to hard-core music fans, Janovitz said.

"Generations have grown up with this music as a given, and this music -- rock and roll, pop music, folk rock, whatever -- grew so exponentially in such leaps and bounds from the '60s and '70s that it's omnipresent still," he said.

"To learn all this new minutiae about it, it's not essential for anybody, but it's real interesting for people that listen to this music constantly over 30 or 40 years to learn new things about it."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Toledo Blade features editor Rod Lockwood can be reached at rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159. )

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06204/707384-44.stm

Ободной из трибьют-групп
-----------------
BEHIND THE SCENES
Covering the music and theater of Pink Floyd
By Sarah M. Taylor, Globe Correspondent | July 20, 2006

Playing in a band is tough; playing in a tribute band may be even tougher.

Sure, the pressure is off to write songs and create new sounds. But you're always playing in the shadow of a band whose music is so well-known, it's probably used in car commercials.

British experimental rockers Pink Floyd have made music since the late 1960s, and in their wake, countless bands formed to resurrect the sound that rocked the world with albums like 1973's ``The Dark Side of the Moon" and 1979's eternal ``The Wall."

Locally based Pink Voyd, a theatrical tribute band, covers Pink Floyd, from well-known songs like ``Comfortably Numb" to obscure recordings and soundtracks. They will appear in Acton Saturday as part of a fund-raiser to help the town hold more events and recreation programs.

``OK, so it's only a tribute band. Come to the show, then after tell me it's a tribute band," challenged Pink Voyd tour manager Paul Papetti, just one of the ``Floydians" -- as in huge Pink Floyd fans -- in the group, composed of about 15 people, including four musicians and an array of sound and lighting engineers and technicians as well as a videographer.

Pink Floyd shows have a reputation for being spectacles, and music is only one element in the equation.

Roger Waters, a founding member of Pink Floyd, used to say that ``the music is the backstage for the spectacle that is Floyd," Papetti said.

``A big part of the Pink Floyd approach is the show. It's never about just individual members," said Pink Voyd member Walter Stickle. ``By doing light shows, lasers, video . . . it's about more than the music, it's a multi media assault."

Pink Voyd has been around for about five years, the members brought together by a ``common bond -- love for Pink Floyd music," said John Pitingolo, who primarily plays bass and guitar. Other members include Stickle, playing the primary guitars, keyboards with MIDI pedals, and saxophones; Tony Caliendo, with drums, percussion, MIDI drum pads and synthesizers, bells, chimes, and guitar on ``Wish You Were Here;" and Mike Zizza, filling in for Daniel Fisher on keyboards, piano, electric piano, and Kurzweil synthesizers.

All participate in lead and back up vocals. Pitingolo, who works as a graphic artist in a lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also helps with the visuals shown on screen and contributes to the videos.

``The band members are very emotional; they're all deep Floydians," Papetti said. ``They can tell you the whole history" of Pink Floyd; ``these guys live, eat, and sleep it and re-create it to a T."

What differentiates this band from other Pink Floyd tribute bands is their exquisite attention to detail, combined with plugging the right emotions into the songs. The end product aims to sound nearly identical to the ``fathers of electronic music," as Stickle said.

Page 2 of 2 --For the chorus of young people singing in ``Another Brick in the Wall, Part II," for example, Pink Voyd went out and found a choir of Berklee students to sing, which the band then cut up so the keyboard can play the chorus.

``We use pretty powerful machines," said Sickle, an MIT grad and one of those musical whizzes who could dissect one song for an hour, lapping up every note and pitch. ``With all of our sound effects, someone is usually triggering the Kurzweil."

Every Pink Floyd sound effect and note is played by the band, sometimes at the same time by triggering the Kurzweil synthesizer, keyboard, or pedals on the musical instrument digital interface, or MIDI, system, which enables computers to communicate with instruments.

``Anytime something is heard from the PA, some band member is playing it," said Sickle, joking how they definitely have their hands full.

Stickle added that the band has a technique in which the light show and video accompaniment follow the musicians. According to him, Pink Floyd showed rigid films during performances, but technology now allows Pink Voyd to ``never have to slave to a computer." Instead, song tempos can breathe and have a more organic feel. ``You get a lot more dynamics from doing that," Stickle said.

Having a constant base of just four musicians not only sets the band apart, it also provides a sense of unity in their improvisations.

``There are various moments in the show where we all play," said Stickle, who enjoys being able to improvise during shows, much like some of the early Pink Floyd material allows. But Stickle added that it's important to limit improvisation to specific places, and ``do the melody the way it is."

``We try to deal with songs the way Pink Floyd wanted it," Stickle said.

Pink Voyd's show in Acton will be the group's first performance since the death of Pink Floyd founding member Syd Barrett on July 7. Barrett was in the band for only a few years, but critics rave of the creativity he lent to the music in the late 1960s.

``Of course, we're going to dedicate `Shine On You Crazy Diamond' to him," Pitingolo said of a song written for Barrett by remaining members of Pink Floyd. Sickle added that some video tributes to Barrett will be worked into certain songs, as well.

Papetti, who calls Pink Floyd ``one of the few bands to span five generations," is promising a family show at the Acton fund-raiser.

``They're a very family-oriented town," Papetti said.

``There's so much happening for the town of Acton -- it's amazing. They have more going on here than in many cities I've been to."

© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/20/covering_the_music_and_theater_of_...

The officially licenced Pink Floyd wall calendar has become a permanent fixture on many walls. Last year, we had many disappointed people email us when the 2006 edition was cancelled due to problems. The good news is that the 2007 has had no such issues, and should be appearing in stores right now.

As with previous years, the calendar has been designed by Storm Thorgerson and his team, using high quality graphics unlike some of the unofficial ones that have appeared at various times over the years.

For this year's calendar, the archives have clearly been raided. For each month, a selection of live shots, promo pictures, concert flyers and other items have been gathered and presented in a collage.

Each month features a different era in the band's development - the mid to late sixties get the first four months, five months are devoted to the seventies, and the final three months of 2007 show the Floyd from the eighties and nineties.

An interesting idea - and something that should prove rather absorbing, particularly to the collectors out there!

In terms of format, each page is 30cm x 30cm (12inch x 12inch), and opens to a 60cm x 30cm double spread, including the dates.

The calendar can be ordered, with a discount at time of writing, through the following special links: UK/Europe, Canada, France, or Germany. Any item bought through these links at Amazon (not just Floyd items) helps with the running costs of the site, and we really appreciate it.

Передняя сторона

Издание Daily Telegraph получило информацию от своего источника, близкого к Гилмору, - "Пинк Флойд не хотят дать Сиду просто так уйти, без пышных проводов". Также источник сообщает, что ради этого сейчас четверка опять готовится уладить все свои разногласия. Остается только гадать, станут ли эти "пышные проводы" частью ALL STAR SYD TRIBUTE, о котором сообщает последний MOJO или же очередным реюнионом.
http://bobclose.fastbb.ru/index.pl

По сообщениям Радио Польша ВСЕМИРНОЕ ТУРНЕ (!!!) ОПЕРЫ СА ИРА СТАРТУЕТ 25 АВГУСТА

Уотерс - "После римской премьеры оперы "Ca ira" был чудесный фуршет и на следующее утро у меня было жуткое похмелье. Внезапно в мою дверь начали ломиться и кричать, что какие-то поляки ждут меня внизу ПОГОВОРИТЬ.
- О чём? - опешил я.
- Они хотят поставить твою оперу. В Познани, летом следующего года.
- Летом? Следующего года? Они что, спятили? Сейчас спущусь.
В фойе меня ждали Януш Йозефович, Марек Шпендовский и директор познаньской Оперы.
Они были полны энтузиазма и сразу объяснили мне связь французской революции и 50-летием "познаньского ИЮНЯ 56-го"...."

ПОЛНОСТЬЮ СКОРО НА САЙТЕ http://bobclose.narod.ru/

Уже известно, что после Познани опера приедет в Киев и Москву,
хотя в данный момент многое делается для того, чтобы это не состоялось. Ведь у кого-то доллары вместо глаз и евро - вместо ушей, а организация концертов - вещь очень хрупкая и аукивающая.

Уотерс и Мэйсон "подстукивают" Клэптону в Get Up, Stand Up 2006

Кто-то в Познань на Ca Ira едет?
я вот подумываю. Как раз буду в Польше в то время.

2 Lucy In The Sky: дело в том, что её постоянно переносят. Последний перенос, если мне не изменяет память, намечен на 25 августа.
Сначала с SgtPepper'ом уже начали изучать что и как, но потом энтузиазм пропал чего-то.

2Fowler.MAI:

>2 Lucy In The Sky: дело в том, что её постоянно
>переносят. Последний перенос, если мне не изменяет
>память, намечен на 25 августа.
Ну, Уотерс вот в интервью говорит, что к 25 августа уж точно успеют :)

Короче, я начинаю пробивать билеты.
А нет, так просто по Познани пошатаюсь.

В крайнем случае, 26го в Гданське Гилмор выступает.
Хотя, если ехать на него, то не очень успеваю на работу к 28.

решайтесь :)

В Гданьске прошла пресс конференция организаторов концерта Гилмора в Польше. Продано всего лишь 37 000 билетов, что очень мало по сравнению с концертом Жана Мишеля Жарре в Польше (55 000). Не удалось найти спонсора для концерта Гилмора. Из Лондона прибудет группа из 38 чел, которая экипирована аппаратурой HDTV. Очевидно материал выйдет на ДВД как это стало с прошлогодним шоу Жарре в Польше..
Концерт будет 3 часовым - первое отделение - новый альбом, второе - хиты Флойд.
Richard Wright Phil Manzanera Guy Pratt Jon Carin Steve Di Stanislao Dick Parry
Переговоры о трансляции шоу Гилмора поистине драматичны - польский телеканал POLSAT запустил в эфир 75 рекламных роликов концерта. Однако этот телеканал не сможет транслировать концерт музыканта по причине своего коммерческого статуса.
польский телеканал TVP не потянул сумму запрошенную за трансляцию, кроме того Гилмор желал бы сначала снять свой концерт и только потом показать его в отредактированном виде.
Страсти накаляются...
==================
Ситуация с Са Ира гораздо (!!!) лучше. 21 августа альбом получает статус платинового!!!
Трансляция шоу будет 25 августа в 21.45 по польскому каналу TVP1 !!!
БУДЕТ - 3 огромные сцены (две 12.5 м на 12.5 м и главная 30 м на 20 м)
- три хора, балет и оркестр
- 380 артистов
- механические вагоны на главной и подъемные лифты на вспомогательных сценах!
- впервые на открытом воздухе новая технология объемного звука!
- для VIP билетов - встреча с Уотерсом гарантирована!
Телеканал TVP1 принимается в СТЕРЕО на территории России по кабельному и спутниковому телевидению!
http://bobclose.fastbb.ru/

По случаю представления альбому "Ça ira" платинового статуса Sony BMG выпускает на территории Польши специальное издание альбома Роджера Уотерса с дополнительной супер обложкой и с либретто в формате pdf в польском переводе (на фото).
Презентация состоится 21 августа или на премьере оперы. По сообщению Viva Art, Уотерс зарезервировал для своих друзей 30 мест в VIP зоне.
По всей Польше установлено 600 билбордов, рассказывающих о замыслах Йозефовича и таким образом, обеспечивая активную рекламу всему событию.

Стало известно об окончательном отказе TVP и Polsat транслировать концерт Гилмора.

Интересно,за какой тираж в классике дают платину.

2Bob Close:
>Гилмор желал бы сначала снять свой концерт и только потом показать его в отредактированном виде.
Гы! :))))

Понял.В Польше Album (jazz/classical) получает платину за 10 000 экз.

2papan
> В Польше Album (jazz/classical) получает платину за 10 000 экз.

Это очень странная информация, поскольку по моим сведениям в Польше нет статуса "платинового" диска - есть только "золотой", который дается за 125 000 экз.

2Simon:

>2papan
>> В Польше Album (jazz/classical) получает платину
>за 10 000 экз.
>Это очень странная информация, поскольку по моим
>сведениям в Польше нет статуса "платинового" диска
>- есть только "золотой", который дается за 125
>000 экз.

Вот,пожалуйста:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_album
Там и брыллыантовый есть:-))

2papan
Да-а-а уж! Очень любопытная информация! Спасибо, papan!
Видимо, мой источник - Британская рок-энциклопедия - безнадежно отстал от жизни.
Но особенно удивила Украина! :))) Чудные дела твои, Господи!

В качестве примера для создания украинского варианта сертификации послужила Италия - такой же очаг пиратства в масштабах Западной Европы, каким является Украина в масштабах всего мира. По разработанной УМА тарификации «золотым» для Украины является рубеж в 50 тысяч копий (под «копией» подразумевается проданный экземпляр кассеты или CD), «платиновым» - 100 тысяч, «бриллиантовым» - 500 тысяч. Это цифры, установленные для украинских артистов. Для зарубежных исполнителей, чьи альбомы выпускаются на территории Украины по лицензии, дифференциация проводится по-другому: «золото» - 25 тысяч, «платина» - 50 тысяч, «бриллиантовый» статус - 200 тысяч.

Сейчас получил познаньскую газету от 10 августа -
Вот цитата -
"Что интересно, музыка этого шоу, ещё до премьеры, объявленной
на 21 августа уже имеет статус "платиновый"."

Заметьте - не альбом Са Ира, а именно музыка этого шоу!
Звучит так, что 21 августа на SONY BMG выйдет польская версия Са Иры,
того что сыграют только 25-го!